The case of the former chancellor of the Diocese of Joliet (United States), David Salvato, far from being closed, continues to reveal a broader crisis of ecclesial governance. After it became known that Salvato left his position to “marry” civilly with another man—an act directly contrary to Church doctrine and discipline—the questions immediately turned to the then Bishop of Joliet, Ronald A. Hicks, who was directly responsible for his appointment and the direction of the diocese during those events. Hicks has recently been appointed Archbishop of New York without having offered, until now, a public explanation about this serious episode.
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The situation now takes on an even more concerning dimension. According to an investigation published by Complicit Clergy, the photographs from the civil ceremony appear to have identified who is apparently the vicar general of Joliet, Father Richard Smith. The information is based on the testimony of an eyewitness and the identification made by several independent sources, who maintain that Smith would have attended the event, held outside the ecclesial sphere.
Complicit Clergy claims to have contacted the priest on December 28, 2025, to request clarifications about his alleged presence at the ceremony, without receiving a response. Neither the Diocese of Joliet nor Bishop Hicks himself have offered an official version of the facts until now.
The right-hand man of the Archbishop of New York
The gravity of the case lies not only in the possible attendance of a priest at a ceremony incompatible with Catholic morality, but in the identity and position of the alleged attendee. Father Richard Smith is not just another cleric in the diocese: as vicar general, he is the bishop’s principal collaborator, his man of utmost trust, and the one who exercises ordinary executive authority in his name.
It was Hicks himself who appointed him vicar general on December 1, 2020, entrusting him with the day-to-day management of the diocese and allowing him to continue, moreover, with his pastoral work at the Holy Spirit Catholic Community in Naperville. In practice, Smith has been Hicks’ right-hand man in Joliet and a key piece of his governance team.
This fact takes on special relevance now that Hicks is about to assume the Archdiocese of New York, one of the most influential and symbolic in the Catholic world. The conduct of those who have formed his closest core of collaborators cannot be considered a minor matter nor detached from his responsibility as a pastor.
A scandal that affects episcopal credibility
Complicit Clergy emphasizes that, if the vicar general’s attendance at the aforementioned ceremony is confirmed, we would be facing a serious case of public scandal. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, in numbers 2284 to 2287, that scandal takes on special gravity when it comes from those who, by their authority and office, are obliged to teach, govern, and set an example.
The possible involvement of the new Archbishop of New York’s right-hand man in an act that openly contradicts the Church’s moral teaching not only generates confusion among the faithful but also compromises the credibility of episcopal governance and reinforces the perception of a practical tolerance toward conduct incompatible with the Catholic faith.
To date, the silence of Bishop Hicks and the Diocese of Joliet persists. Far from clarifying the situation, this lack of public response aggravates the scandal and leaves open legitimate questions about the pastoral and governance criteria of the new Archbishop of New York.